Learn to spin for 10 cents!

Okay, 10 cents,  a spindle, and some wool, but still it's a darn good price for the Respect the Spindle video, and for a limited time you can get the downloadable version for just ten cents. I just grabbed it myself. It's an MP4, which will load directly into iTunes to play on my iPod Touch as well as on my computer.

Here's the link: Respect the Spindle Video Download

Free Pattern: Garter Stripe Afghan

Some time ago I knitted two afghans for and Afghans for Afghans project when they had a big call for baby blankets for a hospital in Kabul. The blog I was contributing to at the time has faded into the aether of the internet, and my pattern page along with it. But I was smart enough to save the html from the post, so here the pattern is again!

I started with the Easiest Baby Blanket pattern from Knitting Pattern Central, which has a garter edging and a stockinette middle, but I was concerned that since the length and width of individual stitches is different, it would come out weirdly. I also needed the blanket to be a little bigger than the original pattern. The minimum size they need for a newborn blanket is 30 inches by 40 inches — it has to last for a while. So here’s what I came up with:

Garter Stripe Baby Afghan

Materials:

* 8 to 10 balls Lion Wool Prints (I used Mountain colorway) or any woolly worsted-weight yarn, 3.5-4 oz per skein (MUST be wool or other animal fiber for Afghans for Afghans — acrylic does not insulate well enough).
* Size 15 circular needles

Gauge: whatever. It’ll come out to about 34-36 inches wide.

Holding two strands of wool together, cast on 87 stitches.

Beginning and ending with stripe pattern 1, alternate these two stripe patterns throughout:

Stripe pattern 1:
Knit every row for 8 rows.

Stripe pattern 2:
Row 1: Knit across
Row 2: Knit the first five stitches, Purl up to the last five stitches, Knit the last five stitches.
Repeat until 8 rows have been made.
Repeat the two stripe patterns alternating until the piece measures about 42 inches. Bind off.



For colors, dark or bright colors are best. Pastels and light colors look dirty too quickly. Green is significant to the people of Islam, so consider incorporating green into the design. The “Mountain” colorway that I used has purple, green, blue, and brown.

Rejoice! The new Knitty is up!

Knitty's summer issue is up! Check out the new patterns. The Mermaid socks are especially nice. Entomology just might be enough to make me consider knitting a shawl. And Trilobite is perhaps the best science geek beanie I've seen in a long time.

FO: The Mother of Invention -- DVD/CD Drive Sleeve (with free pattern)

So I have a beautiful MacBook Air that I got last June and simply adore. It's featherweight, it can slide into a manila envelope, and it's perfect for travel and for presenting at conferences. Of course, that incredible thinness and lightness comes at a price -- it lacks a built-in DVD/CD drive. Consequently I bought a featherweight USB DVD/CD drive made to go with it. But since I carry it around in a mere sleeve on a strap (a fabulous laptop sleeve made by Waterfield Designs, which makes THE best laptop cases EVER), and the drive is just a little too big for the gear pouch that clips on to the sleeve, I had to carry the drive inside the sleeve with the computer. I kept a few odd papers in the sleeve to separate them and keep them from scratching one another, but that lacks a certain chic.

So what does one do with a naked DVD/CD drive?


What a knitter does it go to the stash and whip something up. C'mon, the thing is square, so how hard can this be?

No problem! Here's the recipe:

MacBook Air DVD/CD Drive sleeve

Materials:
5 DPNs US size 4 (3.5 mm)
One pair size 4 (3.5 mm) straight needles (optional)
Elann Sonata cotton yarn (or other DK yarn of your choice)

Gauge: 21 stitches over 4 inches

Cast on 60 stitches over 4 needles (15 stitches on each needle) using a cast-on of your choice. Join, being careful not to twist the stitches. Knit two rounds, purl one round, knit two more rounds, purl one round, then continue knitting in the round until the work is long enough to cover the drive (about 5 1/2 inches). Holding the work flat, do a two-needle bind-off. This is a little easier if you slip the stitches onto two straight needles, 30 stitches on each needle, and use one of the DPNs to work the bind-off. Or, if you want to really amaze your friends, graft the ends together using kitchener stitch so that the sleeve appears completely seamless.

Cord strap: About 2 1/2 inches from the top edge, pick up and knit four stitches in the middle of the sleeve. Work these 4 stitches until you have a strap about 1 1/2 inch long. Bind off and stitch to the sleeve OR graft the live stitches to the stitches on the sleeve.

Weave in ends. Slip in your drive. You're off and running.

Eenie, Meenie, Minie, Moe: Lots of cute premie hats to go! (with free pattern)

Lent: it's not just for giving up candy for 40 days! The Lenten season is a time for spiritual growth, which does involve sacrificing luxuries to learn discipline, and can also involve service. My knitting group made preemie hats for a service project recently and decided that since they're fun and quick to make, and there's an ongoing need, that we'd continue supplying our local hospital with hats. Since Lent was approaching, several people decided to make a pledge to make and donate hats. I figured that since the hospital needs about ten a month, I could probably turn out that many in 40 days. As it turned out I completed a nice even dozen, here posing in an egg carton. Very seasonal, n'est-ce pas?

I started out with these red ones in four sizes, using some Lion Brand Microspun sport-weight acrylic that I had left from another project. I call 'em Eeenie, Meenie, Minie, and Moe:


I started with a simple roll-brim hat pattern from Knitting on the Net and adapted it for preemie sizes. For each size you will cast on some multiple of 9 stitches. Here's how to make them:

Materials:

• Sport weight or DK weight yarn. (Ask to talk to the NICU at your local hospital about fiber. Some want NO acrylic, some want ONLY acrylic, and some will take any fiber so long as it is washable)
• Size 4 DPNs

Gauge:
Between 5 and 6 stitches per inch, depending on the yarn that you use. Don't fret the gauge too much. Just make lots of hats in lots of sizes. They'll fit someone sooner or later.

Eenie (Large, about 10" circumference -- nearly full-term)
Cast on 54 stitches on three needles (18 on each needle). Join without twisting.
Knit around until piece measures about 3 to 3 1/2 inches, then begin decreases.
R1: *K4, K2tog* repeat for the entire round
R2: knit
R3: *K3, K2tog* repeat for the entire round
R4: knit
R5: *K2, K2tog* repeat for the entire round
R6: knit
R7: *K1, K2tog* repeat for the entire round
R8: knit
R9: K2tog for the entire round
You now have 9 stitches (3 on each needle).
R10: *K1, K2tog* repeat for entire round.
You should now have 6 stitches.
For a round-topped hat, cut the yarn and use a tapestry needle to run the yarn through these last stitches. Pull tight and fasten off.
For a "stem" on top, K2tog around, reducing the last 6 stitches to 3. Knit i-cord with these last three stitches to the desired length. Knit the last 3 stitches together, cut the yarn, and pull it through the last stitch. With a tapestry needle, run the yarn down the length of the i-cord, then cut.

Meenie (Medium, about 8 inches in circumference)
Cast on 45 stitches (15 on each needle). Join without twisting.
Knit around until the piece measures about 2 1/2 to 3 inches.
Begin decreases from R3 of the Eeenie pattern and continue as the Eeenie pattern directs.

Minie (Small, about 6 1/2 inches in circumference)
Cast on 36 stitches (12 on each needle). Join without twisting.
Knit around until the piece measures about 2 to 2 1/2 inches.
Begin decreases from R5 of the Eeenie pattern and continue as the Eeenie pattern directs.

Moe (Micro, about 5 inches in circumference)
Cast on 27 stitches (9 on each needle). Join without twisting.
Knit around until the piece measures about 2 inches.
Begin decreases from R7 of the Eeenie pattern and continue as the Eeenie pattern directs.

Now that you've got the basics, would you really like to knit up a load of smiles for the NICU? Get out your leftovers and see what your color combinations inspire. Check out these ideas (most of them done in Elann Sonata, an all-cotton yarn left from my Pondemonium project):

Watermelon: Two shades of green for the "rind," red for the flesh, and the "seeds" done in duplicate stitch with black yarn. This would be even cuter with a seafoam green instead of the yellow-green I had for the lighter shade, and a pinky-red.


On the left, a two-tone denim hat done in Rowan Denim. On the right, a patriotic red, white, and blue. I might try that one again in time for 4th of July, and use multiple narrow red and white stripes:


Here's a lovely cloche for some tiny diva. The leaf is Just a Leaf, a pattern from Ravelry. I made it a few rows smaller than the original pattern. The purple is Takhi cotton, another good choice for all-cotton hats since it comes in lots of brilliant colors.

Keeping the boys in mind, I made these two boyish hats, one in green and blue, the other in blue with three one-row white stripes:


And what's cuter than a bug? How about a ladybug hat? The spots are done in duplicate stitch, though they could be knit in with stranded knitting. To make the two antennae, when I had six stitches after the decreases I divided them between two needles and knit i-cord on each needle. Near the end, I increased in each stitch (by knitting in the front and the back of each stitch) then immediately reduced back to 3 stitches by knitting two together three times. After knitting all three stitches together, I cut the yarn, ran it through the last stitch, then used a needle to run the end of the yarn down through the i-cord and tugged until the slightly pointy ends turned round.

Now, what else could we have? Flowers for spring, pumpkins in the fall, oh, there are lots of ideas once you get started!

In order to avoid jogs where colors join, check out the Jogless Stripes article on TECHKnitting.

Fresh new patterns for knitters

Knitonthenet just announced its spring issue, and it's loaded with nostalgic glamor patterns. Ooh, I'm liking Joan Crawford, though maybe with fitted sleeves instead of bell-shaped.

If you haven't seen the spring Knitty, take a look. The Shipwreck shawl is aMAZing! I'm neither a lace knitter nor a shawl-wearer and that shawl is just calling out, "Knit me! Knit me!" I'm liking the Sourwood Mountain mitts, too.

Free vintage 30's sweater patterns

Hop over to the Subversive Lesbian Anarchic Knitta blog (yes, you heard that right!) for a look at some perfectly gooorgeous Patons and Baldwins' women's sweater patterns from the 1930's. The copyright has expired (the blog author checked to be certain), so they're in the public domain and safe to copy and share. I'm in love with the "Faith" sweater. It'll take some mathematics to figure out the right gauge and a suitable yarn to use.

ETA: There's a second book of 30's patterns that just went up.

FO: Man's Chemo Cap (with free pattern)

I've been working away on the chemo cap project and decided that the ball of navy Elann Esprit was going to be a man's cap. Looking at all the caps people have knitted for the project, I'm seeing many women's caps and some unisex caps. They needed some "guy" caps, so I came up with this pattern. It took a bit of work to come up with a set of decreases at the top that I liked. I hope the instructions are clear enough.

If you substitute yarns, be aware that Elann Esprit is elasticized cotton yarn and this cap relies on the stretchy fabric that the elastic produces. If done in another yarn, it might not stretch enough, though it would make a dandy boy's cap.


Man's chemo cap

This cap borrows a portion of the subtle cabling from the Earl Grey Socks on the Yarn Harlot website. If you find this pattern useful, please visit the Yarn Harlot's blog and make a donation to Doctors Without Borders. Thanks.

Materials:
1 ball Elann Esprit 50 gr ball, navy
Size 7 16" circular needle
Set of 4 size 7 DPNs

Cast on 80 stitches. Join, being careful not to twist the stitches. Knit K2 P2 ribbing for 3 inches. On the last round, place markers every 16 stitches (divides hat in to 5 sections).

On next round, begin cable pattern. Do one cable pattern after each marker. Adjust markers if needed so that K and P sts of first cable round match K and P sts of ribbing, so cabling emerges from the ribbing. Knit all stitches up to next marker.

Abbreviations:
TR (twist right) = K the 2nd stitch on the left needle, K the first stitch, slide both off together.
CR = P the 2nd stitches on left needle, K the first stitch, slide them off together.
CL = K the 2nd stitch on the left needle, P the first, slide them off together

Round 1: *p1, k2, p2, k2, p1, k8* 5 times
Round 2: *p1, TR, p2, TR, p1, k8* 5 times
Rounds 3,4,5: *p1, k2, p2, k2,p1, k8* 5 times
Round 6: *p1, TR, p2, TR, p1, k8* 5 times
Rounds,7,8,9: *p1, k2, p2, k2 ,p1, k8* 5 times
Round 10: *p1, TR, p2, TR, p1, k8* 5 times
Round 11: *p1, k2, p2, k2, p1, k8*, k8* 5 times
Round 12: *p1, k1, CL, CR, k1, p1* 5 times (correction added)
Round 13: *p1, k1, p1, k2, p1, k1, p1, k8* 5 times
Round 14: *p1, k1, p1, TR, p1, k1, p1, k8* 5 times
Round 15,16,17: *p1, k1, p1, k2, p1, k1, p1, k8* 5 times
Round 18: *p1, k1, p1, TR, p1, k1, p1, k8* 5 times
Rounds 19,20,21: *p1,k1,p1, k2, p1, k1, p1, k8* 5 times
Round 22: *p1, k1, p1, TR, p1, k1, p1, k8* 5 times
Round 23: *p1, k1, p1, k2, p1, k1, p1, k8* 5 times
Round 24: *p1, k1, CR, CL, k1, p1, k8* 5 times

Continue in pattern for two pattern repeats (about 4 1/2 inches). Begin decrease rounds, continuing cable pattern for the next eight rows.
Round 1: Continue pattern over first 8 stitches after each marker, K2tog, K6
Round 2: Continue pattern over first 8 stitches after each marker, K5, ssk
Continue decreases in this manner, making K2tog decreases on odd rows at the start of the knit panels and ssk decreases on even rows at the end of the knit panels until there is only 1 stitch between the cable panels.
Next round: *P1, K2, P2tog, K2, P1, K1* repeat around
Next round: *P1, K2tog, P1, ssk, P1, K1* repeat around
Next round: K2tog all around
Cut yarn, leaving an 8 inch tail. Use a tapestry needle to run the tail through the remaining live stitches. Pull tight, secure ends.

If you want to make the hat larger:
- to make the hat bigger around, cast on an additional 16 stitches and work 6 repeats every round.
- to make the hat longer in the crown, add another pattern repeat.

FO: Kitty toys (with free pattern)

Yes, I was a busy little crafter while I was sick and snowed in. The kitties had their share -- a handful of kitty toys stuffed with catnip and fiberfill for them to chase around the house.

Chain 3, join ends.
Round 1: Chain 2, SC in the loop about 8 times.
Rounds 2 and 3: Ch 2, SC twice in 1 stitch, SC in next stitch around
Rounds 4, 5, 6: Ch 2, SC around
Rounds 7, 8: Ch 2, SC in next 2 sts, skip 1 stitch around
Stuff with fiberfill and catnip after round 7
Round 9: Ch 2, SC in next st, skip next st around
Cut yarn, leaving an 8 inch tail. Thread through last loop on the hook. Use a tapestry needle to close the hole at the top, and weave ends in.

ETA: Alternately, instead of chaining 2 at the start of each round you can work the entire toy in a spiral. Just be sure to use a marker to mark the beginning of each round so you know when to increase and decrease.

FO: A Hat for James (with free pattern)

It was the Christmas that almost wasn't. I was stuck in the house with pneumonia. Then it snowed. Then we had an ice storm that covered everything in a thick layer of ice and shattered numerous trees in the neighborhood, including the more-or-less dead crabapple in our front yard (that really needed taking down anyway). Then on Sunday evening (Winter solstice, the longest night of the year of course) the power went out.

And stayed out.

And stayed out.

For three nights the DH and I huddled around the fireplace and found out first-hand that yes, most of the heat from a fire in a brick fireplace really does go up the chimney. A little battery-powered fan would have been very useful. A big ol' generator would have been even more useful to get the gas furnace to kick on and keep the deep freeze running. (On this summer's to-do list: have a fireplace insert installed and research generators.) The real saving grace was that we have a gas water heater that doesn't rely on the electrical system to work, so we had hot showers and used a tub full of hot water to heat the bathroom so we had a warm place to put the birds.

On top of that, my son James was stuck in Portland, 45 miles to the north, snowed in. Worse still, he was at a friend's house instead of his own apartment where he'd gotten by bus. The bus routes were shut down because of ice and snow, so James couldn't get home to change his clothes, pick up presents, and come home.

I had no Christmas baking done, no Christmas tree up (though we had a tree -- guy at the tree lot a few blocks away saw that we'd walked to the lot and delivered a tree for us with his tractor), and little to go in the stockings. But dagnabit, I had yarn and was determined to get something nice into my son's stocking. Some Lion Brand Cotton Ease became the mini-cabled hat in the picture above. So yes, James did make it home because...

...on the 24th, just as we were wondering if we should check into a motel, the power came on. The next morning, James' girlfriend borrowed her mother's car with studded tires and drove him home for Christmas. The two best Christmas presents EVER. My mom had us over for Christmas dinner, and my brother stopped by on his way up to Seattle the day before and dropped off cookies. So while it was slapped together at the last hour, Christmas happened.



A Hat for James
Since I had no power, I had no internet access to look up nifty patterns, and so I made up the pattern on the fly. I tried several times to get a decrease pattern at the top that I liked. I hope people can follow what I worked out. Here it is:

Lion Brand Cotton-Ease, 1 skein
Size 8 16" circular needles
Size 8 DPNs

abbreviations:
TR (twist right): Over two knit stitches, knit into the second stitch on the left needle, then knit the first stitch, then slide both stitches onto the right needle.
ssk: slip, slip, knit (right-slanting decrease)
K2tog: knit two together (left-slanting decrease)

Cast on 80 stitches onto circular needles (or onto 3 DPNs). Join, being careful not to twist the stitches. Place a marker at the beginning of the round. Work K2P2 ribbing for six inches.

Begin pattern (adjust marker so that the TR aligns to the first K2 rib):
Round 1: *P1, TR, P1, K4* 10 times
Rounds 2, 3, 4: *P1, K2, P1, K4* 10 times
Repeat rounds for about four inches (or more if desired), ending with a Round 4.

Begin decreases (switch to DPNs when necessary):
Dec round 1: *P1, K2tog, P1, K4* 10 times
Dec round 2: *ssk, P1, K4* 10 times
Dec round 3: *K2 tog, K4* 10 times
Dec round 4: *ssk, K1, k2tog* 10 times
Dec round 5: *K1, K2tog* 10 times
Dec round 6: *ssk, K1* repeat to last 2 stitches, ssk
Dec round 7: K2tog around to last st, K
Cut yarn, leaving an 8 inch tail. Use a tapestry needle to draw the tail through the remaining stitches, pull tight. Weave in and secure ends.

The doubled-over ribbing provides thick insulation over the ears. If you prefer, knit just three inches of ribbing and work the pattern for 7 inches instead of four. Either way works.

Elinor's "Your Feet Are Cold" Bedsocks - free pattern

I've been pretty much confined to the house for the past several days since 1) it's been snowing off and on since Monday and 2) the nasty cough I've had turned into fever and deep fatigue which turned out to be pneumonia! My brave hubby took me to the doctor on Monday (over snow-packed streets that were pretty much a skating rink, but then he grew up in the Chicago area and knows about ice) where they did the chest X-ray and even I could see a slight woolly look in one lung. So I've been home, taking my antibiotics, drinking lots of juice, and breathing steam from a vaporizer at night.

I put my chemo cap project on hold until I stop coughing pneumococci all over everything. I'll have to thoroughly disinfect everything I've knitted for the project already. I wonder if you can autoclave Elann Elite?

One has to keep oneself occupied even when confined to bed or the couch, so out came the needles and some spare Lion Wool-Ease from the stash, and I set to work on a project I'd barely begun for the Jane Austen Book Club knit-along on Ravelry. We're in the middle of Sense and Sensibility, and I thought of the scene in the 1995 Emma Thompson movie, where the sisters and their mother move into Barton cottage, and on the first chilly night, Marianne and Elinor share a bedroom. Elinor gets into bed where Marianne is already curled up, and Marianne whines, "Your feet are cold." Elinor gets up again and struggles into a pair of woolly socks.

So for Elinor, here's a pair of warm woolly bedsocks, knitted in worsted-weight yarn and with a simple openwork pattern:



Elinor's "Your feet are cold" bedsocks

Materials:
Lion Wool Ease or any other standard worsted-weight yarn, 1 skein MC, 1 skein CC. One pair of socks uses only a small amount from each skein -- you can probably get three or four out of two skeins.
5 DPN size 8

Gauge: 3.5 st/inch approximately

Size: These fit my size 9 1/2 wide feet a little loosely. I'll add a couple of changes in parentheses for people with more fashionably-sized feet. If you have narrow feet, try the smaller size and size 7 needles.

I borrowed the Easy Toe cast-on for toe-up socks from Knitty issue Winter 02 to begin these socks, so go and print a copy of that before you get started. The instructions come with clear illustrations, so better for you to go and get their instructions that for me to try to summarize -- that is, plagiarize -- them here.

With waste yarn and a large hook, crochet a chain of about 12 stitches. Tie a knot in the end you draw through so you can find it again and undo it easily. Use CC, cast on 8 stitches by knitting into the "bumps" on the underside of the crochet chain. Work in stockinette stitch for 4 rows. Undo the crochet chain and put the live sitches on another dpn.

Continue with the instructions for the Figure 8 cast-on from the phrase "Begin knitting circularly." You will divide the work onto 4 needles, and place a marker that marks the beginning of the round. Continue working until there are 10 stitches on each needle (stop at 9 stitches for smaller feet than mine). End with a non-increase round, and stop at the end of Needle 3. (Next needle begins stitches for the top of the foot.) Move all stitches for the top of the foot (needles 1 and 4) onto the same needle -- 20 (18) stitches. You will work the lace rib pattern on the top of the foot.

Tie on MC. Knit 1, PM, begin lace pattern on next 18 stitches, PM, K last stitch.

Lace rib pattern:
Round 1: K 5, P 1
Round 2: K 1, YO, sl 1, K2tog, psso, YO, K1 P1
Round 3: K5, P1
Round 4: K2, YO, ssk, K1, P1
Round 5: K5, P1
Round 6: K5, P1

When foot is long enough (5 lace pattern repeats for my size 9 foot), begin short-row heel. You now have 20 (18) stitches on one needle (pattern needle) and 10 (9) stitches on each of the other needles. Work the heel on these two needles only.

Short-row Heel:
Tie on CC.
Row 1: K to last stitch, W&T
Row 2: P to last stitch, W&T
Row 3: K to last 2 stitches, W&T
Row 4: P to last 2 stitches, W&T
Row 5: K to last 3 stitches, W&T
Row 6: P to last 3 stitches, W&T
Row 7: K to last 4 stitches, W&T
Row 8: P to last 4 stitches, W&T
Row 9: K to last 5 stitches, W&T
Row 10: P to last 5 stitches, W&T (stop here and skip to row 13 if working the smaller size)
Row 11: K to last 6 stitches, W&T
Row 12: P to last 6 stitches, W&T
Row 13: K to first wrapped stitch, knit stitch & wrap together, turn
Row 14: Sl 1, P to first wrapped stitch, purl stitch & wrap together, turn
Row 15: Sl 1, K to first wrapped stitch, knit stitch & wrap together, turn
Repeat rows 14 and 15 until the last of the wrapped stitches have been used. End on a P row, on the side where the MC yarn was dropped.

Ankle:
Turn work. Pick up MC.
Across 2 needles at the back of the sock:
K 1, PM, begin lace pattern across needles (divide sts as needed to work lace pattern) until 1 st is on needles, PM, K1.
Continue around leg of the sock, knitting lace pattern between markers. Yes, there will be a K2 rib on each side between the lace panels. If this bothers you, leave the back of the sock plain and work the lace only in front. (If you stopped at 9 stitches at the toe, you won't have the K2 rib -- just lace pattern all the way around.)
Work two repeats of the lace pattern (12 rows) or longer if desired.

Cuff:
Switch to CC. Knit 1 inch of K2P2 ribbing (or longer if desired).
To bind off:
K 2 sts, slip sts back to left needle, knit them together through the back of the loop. Purl next stitch, slip both sts on right needle to left needle, purl together. Continue binding off in pattern, knitting (or purling) 1 stitch, moving both stitches from the right needle to the left, and knitting (or purling) them together in the back of the loop until all stitches have been bound off. Sew in ends.

Teeny Weeny Jaw-Dropping Knits

If you've got a good connection, go here: Coraline's Bedroom

Once the page loads, click on the upper drawer of the white bureau on the left. This will load a short movie on the fiber artist who has been knitting intricate sweaters on the micro-scale for the upcoming movie, Coraline (based on a Neil Gaiman novel).

We're talking this kind of scale:

For the animated figures in the movie:
'Kay, then there's another movie I have to go see for the knitting!

Now, if you want a pattern for the starry sweater in the picture above, click the bottom drawer on the white bureau. You can download a free PDF knitting pattern for Coraline's sweater -- in a wearable size, not microscale!

Free pattern books from Bernat

I'm not sure how long this offer will last, so check it out soon. Bernat is offering two free PDF pattern books if you take the Bernat e-survey. Choose your books before taking the survey, because there will only be numbers to choose from at the end. There are two books of baby patterns, two afghan books, and two books of women's garments.

Simple Roll-Brim Suede Hat (free pattern)

The month of November has been all about keeping up with mountains of papers to correct, attempting to keep up with housework and gardening, and, as though that wasn't enough, National Novel Writing Month. I am but 3000 words from the 50,000 word goal, and I shall win! I shall!

But of course there must be knitting time. I managed to whip out this not terribly elegant, but soft, stretchy, and comfortable hat out of some leftover Lion Suede in the stash for a charity project, improvising a pattern of my own. Here 'tis:

4 DPN size 5 for S/M, size 7 for M/L (shown)
1 skein Lion Suede (the hat uses about 2/3 of a 122 yard skein)

Cast on 60 stitches and divide between three needles. Join without twisting.
Knit 5 rounds (though looking at it now, I think 7 would give the brim a better roll)
K2P2 ribbing for seven inches.
Decrease round: K2, P2 together all the way around.
Work 2 more rounds in pattern (K2P1)
Decrease round: K2 tog, P1 all the way around
Work 2 more rounds in pattern (K1 P1)
Knit 2 tog all the way around
Work 1 more round in K all the way around.
Cut yarn, thread through loops on the needles. Pull tight and tie off.

Simple enough, and knits up pretty durn quick. A fast knitter could complete this in an evening.